I Do This Because

By day, Grant K. Schmidt is an associate at Winston & Strawn's Dallas office, but at night and on weekends, he moonlights as a podcaster.

May 14, 2020 at 10:20 PM

13 minute read

By Kenneth Artz

By day, Grant K. Schmidt is an associate at Winston & Strawn's Dallas office, but at night and on weekends, he moonlights as a podcaster, hosting his own Dallas-themed podcast, "I Do This Because." In each 30-minute episode, Grant interviews local celebrities, personalities and community leaders to find out what inspires them and why they do what they do each day.

Lately, the podcast's focus has been on the COVID-19 crisis, and the current episodes feature the guests discussing such topics as how the spread of the disease is affecting restaurants, university campus life and religious institutions around the city.

The most recent guests include:

Former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, who dealt with the Ebola crisis in Dallas.
Southern Methodist University president R. Gerald Turner, who shifted campus life into online learning.
Tabletop Media CEO Jack Baum, who witnessed the early signs of the spread of COVID-19 in Asia from the analytics of its Ziosk restaurant tabletop kiosks.
St. Rita Catholic Church Pastoral Administrator Fr. Josh Whitfield, who had to turn his flock in Dallas into a virtual parish.

Tell me about your podcast and why you do it.

Grant K. Schmidt: I was born in Dallas, grew up in Dallas, and currently live in Dallas. I have always been proud of the industry leaders we have here and across the state of Texas, and enjoy reading biographies on those individuals, listening to interviews, and watching them tell their stories.

But I realized that most high-profile interviews tend to fall into two separate, important buckets: a largely factual, biographical interview that covers the general history of that person (where they were born, went to school, major career milestones, etc.); or a headline-based story with their take on a specific issue or event.

"I Do This Because" is a new kind of interview series that focuses on the middle ground between those two buckets. We interview local leaders at the top of every industry, but I purposefully avoid asking them topical, hot-button questions. Instead, I aim to discover what makes them tick. In other words, we actually try to get to know the man or woman we interview.

This strategy is important for several reasons. First, I find it interesting! Most media outlets cover a mayor's political decisions, education or ideological persuasions. However, few ask a former mayor about her morning routine, how she chooses where to get her news, and what past decisions she still debates in her mind.

Second, humanizing our local leaders is extremely important in an age of sound-bite polarization. Without an opportunity to get to know someone, it's easy to place them in a certain camp, and thus write off their decisions. In my experience, our leaders are much more complex, thoughtful and driven by benevolent motives than the public discourse reflects. This interview series is designed to reveal the inner workings of individuals' hearts and minds, a predicate to understanding their influence on specific areas.

Since you've been doing your podcast, what have you learned about the spread of the conronavirus through Dallas?

It's affecting all of these institutions in every conceivable way, just like it is for you and me. We launched "I Do This Because" just a few weeks before the COVID-19 crisis became mainstream in American consciousness. Once I realized the crisis wasn't going away quickly, I pivoted the content of the podcast.

On one hand, the material—deep, but digestible, interviews designed to reveal the heart of our leadership—is always relevant. But I felt strongly that people were hungry for information about how our leaders were handling the crisis. Not just from a policy perspective, but from a personal perspective.

For interviews I recorded after COVID-19 hit, I asked more questions about the impact of the crisis on their personal and professional environments. For example, how they remain optimistic, keep their teams motivated, and instill hope. I've also created a sub-series specifically focused on COVID-19, where I interview leaders who are uniquely impacted by the virus. These include restaurant owners, university presidents, grocery store executives, nonprofit leaders, city councilmen and women, and more. My goal was to provide some optimism and hope via some of our most impressive leaders in the midst of what is a very challenging time.

You've had some noteworthy guests from Dallas on your podcast. Can you go down the shortlist and talk about the biggest takeaways each discussed?

I had the privilege of interviewing a number of inspiring leaders over the past few months across many industries, and it's hard to choose one to highlight. To give you a sense of the diversity of our interviews, here is a list of all interviewees with a quick takeaway for each:

Dale Hansen (WFAA / ABC sportscaster): Reveals why he started to comment on hot-button cultural issues, how losing his best friend in the Vietnam War colored his perspective on faith and politics, and the way his roots have kept him grounded in the midst of success.
Judge Barbara Lynn (Chief Judge—Northern District of Texas): Talks about the most difficult aspects of her job, how she uses humor to break the tension in court, when she will consider retirement, and how she survives on such little sleep.
Ron Kirk (Former Dallas mayor/former trade ambassador in President Barack Obama's Cabinet): Shares the tense and impactful moments that shaped his service in President Obama's cabinet, his morning routine, his round of golf with Tiger Woods and President Obama, and his belief that a joyful and optimistic attitude can help you discover the hilarity in everyday life.
Dean Fearing (internationally renowned chef): Discusses how he can still smell his grandmother's Eastern Kentucky cooking to this day, the connection between his early interest in psychology and his success as a restaurateur, the reason he does not plan to open a second restaurant like other celebrity chefs, and how he can make a listener's mouth water at the drop of a hat.
Kellie Rasberry (radio show host—"Kidd Kraddick in the Morning"): Describes why she works so hard to provide meaningful but uplifting content, what makes her fearless, and what impresses her in people she meets.
Harlan Crow (real estate legend): Discusses his conviction that wealth does not make you different from anyone else, how his conversation with David Rockefeller as a 20-year-old impacted his view of the world, why he loves building things, how creating opportunities for his employees is one of the most important works of his life, and how our work never ends.
Jan Langbein (CEO of Genesis Women's Shelter): Discusses why the primary qualification to work at Genesis is to have a "fire in your belly" to end violence against women, why she encourages self-care among her clinicians, and her life motto to "find the good and praise it."
John Creuzot (Dallas County district attorney): Discusses his jump from the bench to his role as lead prosecutor in Dallas County, what people do not understand about his job, how he keeps his staff motivated in the midst of challenging circumstances, his commitment to data-driven solutions, and his perspective on local media coverage of his decisions and the District Attorney's Office.
Laura Miller (Former Dallas mayor): Discusses why the gratification of serving others is more enticing to her than retirement, her reflective look back at her life as mayor, and her work on the Ladder Project, which empowers local faith communities to be safety nets for the homeless.
Sean Lowe (star of ABC's "The Bachelor"): Talks about his decision to open up his life to the world, his initial skepticism toward reality TV, the grounding impact of his faith, how he conquers his insecurities, and his future ambitions.
Jennifer Staubach Gates (Dallas City councilwoman): Chats about what it means to serve in the "first level of government," how her strict upbringing taught her she was no different from anyone else, and the way the City Council manages to set aside its differences in times of tragedy or duress for the city.
Pete Delkus (WFAA/ABC weathercaster): Chats about why weather is a universal conversation topic, his awareness that his forecasting has a direct impact on peoples' lives, why he continues to tease his viewers by using the word "moist," and how his career as a minor-league baseball player impacts his perspective on life to this day.
Fr. Josh Whitfield (pastor at St. Rita Catholic Community): Talks about life as a married priest with four kids, the moment he first realized COVID-19 would have a direct impact on his parish, how it's possible to find good in the face of evil, what it has been like saying mass alone during this pandemic, and why we don't need an explanation for everything.
Jack Baum (owner of Woodlands American Grill and CEO of Tabletop Media): Talks about remaining optimistic in the face of COVID-19, some creative opportunities he has developed for his employees, how he stays one step ahead of the curve, and what he would say to a stadium full of restaurant owners.
R. Gerald Turner (president of SMU): Shares how he navigated COVID-19's impact on campus through innovation, the way he transforms stress into motivation, three things he thinks about the moment he wakes up, and how serving as president of SMU has become a way of life.
Mike Rawlings (Former mayor of Dallas/former CEO of Pizza Hut): Discusses why it is important for leaders to have faith in the public during this COVID-19 pandemic, why running for mayor was the virtuous thing to do, whether he can see himself running for president, and the leadership model he uses to evaluate anyone considered for a key position.
Jessica Trudeau (executive director of the Momentous Institute): Discusses how she and her team care for the social and emotional health of over 5,000 children during this pandemic, the best ways to build trust, how she has taken on the role of a spiritual scientist, and why we should use this moment to look within and evolve.
Jaime Resendez (Dallas City councilman): Discusses why the COVID-19 crisis has exposed many of the issues he hoped to tackle when running for office, why he often goes to sleep at 4 am, how he conquered fear serving in Iraq, and why he thinks it's important to remember that nobody is promised a tomorrow.
Michael Sorrell (president of Paul Quinn College): Talks about how discomfort unlocks gifts, why he turned down the opportunity to run for governor, how the loss of his hair helped him conquer all insecurities, what he does to unburden his mind, and how past criticism from a high school basketball coach continues to shape him today.
Michael Hinojosa (DISD superintendent): Not yet released.
Byron Sanders (president and CEO of Big Thought): Not yet released.
Erica Yaeger (director of external affairs for North Texas Food Bank): Not yet released.
Mabrie Jackson (director of public affairs for HEB/Central Market): Not yet released.
Special Agent in Charge Michael DeSarno (FBI agent in charge of Dallas office): Not yet released.

Each conversation was unique, insightful and inspiring in its own way. We have a true cross section of all industries including media, nonprofit, government, judges, public officials, university presidents, company executives, religious leaders, TV personalities, real estate titans, chefs and more! I am looking forward to future interviews that cover arenas we have not yet entered.

Can you talk about the most difficult change that's occurred in your home life, legal practice or moonlighting as a podcaster since the COVID-19 pandemic began?

The biggest change for me personally and professionally was transitioning to a remote-work environment. But in addition to focusing on my cases at Winston & Strawn and also focusing on being present for my family, my focus has been on the challenges so many people in our community are facing, and I am constantly brainstorming creative ways to support these families in any way possible. Our community is resilient—and I am so grateful to (and constantly praying for) everyone working on the front lines.

In terms of the podcast, I began this project by promising myself that all interviews would be conducted in person. I believe in establishing a relationship with the person with whom I'm conversing, and that is much easier face-to-face. However, in light of COVID-19, we adjusted. I've been so grateful to the interviewees who welcomed me into their homes (virtually) to share their experiences and insights at a time when they have a lot on their plate.

How do you think it will all end?

While I certainly hope for an abrupt end to this crisis, perhaps with a successful vaccine, most experts are saying that our "new normal" is going to be with us for quite some time. When the crisis first hit, I felt like I was trying to adapt quickly to the new personal and professional environments. But as we settled in for the longer haul, I've given more consideration to certain habits and expectations.

One thing is for sure: the need for heroic leadership and deep, community connections is at an all-time high. We can't take any outcome, in this crisis, for granted. We will only be as strong as we choose to be, together. In an interesting way, the COVID-19 crisis has given I Do This Because a heightened purpose: to improve public discourse and trust by revealing the heart of our leadership.

My hope is that every Dallasite will find something interesting on "I Do This Because." It's incredible how much content is out there right now; I can spend hours jumping from podcast to podcast. In fact, I almost didn't start "I Do This Because" because many said the podcast market was oversaturated. Luckily, I realized it's not saturated with the content I'm producing—focused, meaningful and local.

Sometimes it's hard to focus on the local issues because national matters seem so much more interesting. We often know our national leaders better than the ones who live down the street, which is a shame; the ones physically close to us impact our lives in profound ways. I hope Dallas people of all different backgrounds can tune in to the podcast from time to time and meet someone new who is working hard for them. There might even be plans to expand in the near future!

You can access the "I Do This Because" podcast via our website, iTunes or Spotify.

Grant K. Schmidt is an associate at Winston & Strawn's Dallas office. He has trial, oral argument and deposition experience, and specializes in complex commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, and white-collar criminal defense. He can be reached at: [email protected].